


Fish Out Of Water

by stubsel



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Chocobros - Freeform, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Merfolk AU, Platonic Relationships, Slow Burn, ish, platonic ot4, || Characters will be added as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2018-11-07 16:13:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11062536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stubsel/pseuds/stubsel
Summary: The Chocobros are on their way to Altissia to celebrate the recent graduation of Noctis and Prompto. Due to unforseen events they are stuck in Galdin Quay for a while. Everyone enjoys their unplanned summer vacation except for Prompto, who has to hide the fact that he'll turn into a half fish when he touches the Galdin Ocean.





	1. Avoidance

**Author's Note:**

> There is no war to be worried about. The boys are just having fun, except for Prompto who is an anxious stressball.

Fresh out of Hammerhead, where they had to get the car fixed, the prince and his entourage made their way to Galdin Quay. Everyone was excited to leave for Altissia, where they had planned to celebrate Noctis’ and Prompto’s graduation.  
The king had insisted they use their youth and do something stupid while they still could. Ignis had suggested to keep it down, since the prince was still, well, the prince and as such he had to keep a certain image. Nonetheless they were heading to Altissia to celebrate and to be stupid teenagers just reaching adulthood.

They had planned to stay in Galdin Quay for a night or maybe two to just enjoy the sun and the beach for a while. Everyone was already looking forward to the ocean. Except for one.

Prompto was even more fidgety as usual and it was agitating the rest of them. There were many things he’d rather do, like fighting a bunch of Iron Giants that kept spawning in the middle of the road because Noctis kept insisting to keep driving at night.

“Hey, can we pull over a second? There’s really good light here and I’d like to snatch a picture or two”, Prompto tried for the second time.  
Gladio groaned.

“We’ll never arrive in Galdin if you keep this up. I say we keep driving.” Too bad he wasn’t the one making decisions.

“Come on Gladio. This is a vacation! Relax a little, will ya”, Noctis agreed to stopping for another Photo-Session and Prompto was grinning on the inside. He just had to stall for time for long enough.

The next time he pointed out a smoking car next to the road with a helpless looking driver, so they pulled over and helped with the repairs.

After that he made Noctis stop to take care of a hurt deer. He had always had a soft spot for animals and the deer was sure to die if not taken care of.

As they were getting closer to their destination, Prompto started asking to stop for more and more ridiculous things.

“Noct can you pose on that rock for me? I bet you’d look awesome.”  
“Hey Gladio, let’s check out that bookstore over there!”  
“Ignis, I’m starving let’s take a break.”

Things like that. One time he wanted to take a selfie with Kenny Crow but Noctis deemed the mascot too creepy and urged Ignis to drive faster instead.

It was growing dark and Prompto used the opportunity to ask to make camp. Even though it delighted Gladio, it only encouraged the other’s suspicions. 

“Somehow I can not shake the feeling that you’d rather not arrive in Galdin Quay?”

Prompto went back to fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat and avoided eye contact.  
“Noooooooo?” He answered Ignis, his voice increasing in pitch as the word drew on.

“Oh, good, because I’m really looking forward to the ocean. You used to go swimming all the time back in school. We should definitely use the opportunity. I know you’ve never been to Galdin before. I promise it’ll be great.”

Prompto’s face grew considerably paler with every word that left Noctis’ mouth, which worried the latter.

“Hey Prom, you ok?” Prompto shook his head as if to get rid of an annoying thought and then grinned his signature smile.

“Yep! No worries here dude! I bet the ocean is great this time of the year!” Prompto spoke faster and faster with every word and ended his answer with nervous laughter.

Noctis frowned but didn’t say anything about Prompto’s obviously weird behaviour.

Silently they kept driving without any more incidents of Prompto trying not to arrive. 

Gladio was disappointed that they decided not to make camp and instead head for Galdin to stay in the hotel for the night.  
“I guess a shower doesn’t sound too bad right now.” He shrugged and settled down for the rest of the ride.

 

It didn’t take them too long to make it to the Quay and even though a night in the hotel ate up the last of their savings, since they had been very generous to the people in need, they still decided to stay.  
Prompto’s brain was already working on a solution not to step into the ocean. He had to avoid it at all costs. The others couldn’t possibly know about him. He couldn’t just spill his secret like this.

He was just too scared of their reaction.

When Noctis brought up night swimming because “it’s safe at night have you seen all the lights Gladio there’s no way a daemon would come here”, Prompto excused himself and went to bed early. He blamed it on his overly sensitive stomach and that he wasn’t used to the amount of seafood served in the restaurant.

The others shrugged it off. They knew about his stomach so it wasn’t too suspicious. Of course they offered to stay with him at first but he waved them off.  
“No way guys! I’m not spoiling your fun! The water must be incredible, you shouldn’t miss out!”

He smiled and basically shoved them out of their shared room, throwing a bunch of towels after them because he hadn’t given them time to grab any.  
“I’ll see you in the morning!”

The boys nodded and wished him a good night and that they’ll check on him when they’re back and that he could always just call if he needs anything.

Before they could keep talking and worrying, Prompto just nodded and agreed to everything and closed the door right in their faces.  
Finally alone and in peace he hopped under the shower and then slid into one of the clean beds.  
Soon he had fallen asleep, tired and exhausted from avoiding to step into the ocean all day.


	2. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing goes according to plan. Everything goes very very wrong in the most hilarious way.

Due to unforseen circumstances, they were stuck in Galdin Quay. Thankfully they got a discount on the hotel room (even though it wasn’t much) so they were able to stay for another night if they had to.  
A storm had hit Altissia and thus no ships left the Quay in that direction. They were pretty much stranded.

“I wouldn’t want to celebrate in a storm anyway”, Noctis commented on their situation. “At least I can spend the day fishing now.”

Gladio and Ignis decided to spend the day at the beach again while Noctis tried to reel in a big one. Prompto decided to stay with Noctis. Sitting behind him and watching him pass the hours until nighttime sounded as dry as it’s gonna get. Gladio and Ignis went swimming again and made sure to check on the other two every now and then.  
“If you keep sitting in the sun like that you’re gonna get burned to a crisp y’know.” Gladio, worried as ever but still maintaining a slightly annoyed tone. He was obviously displeased with having to stay in Galdin for another day. He really needed to learn how to relax.  
“Don’t worry big guy. I can take care of myself.”

Gladio huffed, stayed for another few seconds and then made his way back to Ignis, who was sitting in the sand and enjoyed the sun. You would never guess that on the other side of the ocean, Altissia was facing a storm. The sky was clear and the sun burned down on them unforgivingly. The scorching hot sand was only bearable if you took a dip in the water every now and then. Overall it was the perfect beach day.

Still, Prompto couldn’t seem to enjoy himself. He kept glancing down the jetty into the crystal clear water. He was obviously anxious, fidgeting with the hem of his vest, that he had taken off a while ago. There was something else in his expression though. Maybe a hint of sadness.

Noctis was too busy with the fishing to notice it. Of course he knew something about his best friend was off but he also knew that if Prompto wanted to talk about it, he would. For now he was just happy that he didn’t have to sit in the sun alone.  
Noctis knew that it was too hot to catch anything good, if anything at all. The fish would all be hiding lower to the ground to avoid the heat. If he gave up now and left the fishing for another day he’d have to abandon Prompto though. It didn’t seem like he would join them for a swim.

Time passed and all Noctis caught was a tiny Galdin Trevally. It was disappointing to say the least. The poor fish was so small that he decided to throw it back into the water. 

“It’s no use”, he said as he gathered his belongings and made the fishing rod disappear again. “It’s just too hot.” Noctis wanted to keep fishing and distract Prompto, he really did, but it was getting too hot to keep sitting in the sun. He really wanted to just throw himself into the water and cool down again.

“Let’s go Prom, I bet you need to cool down a little too.” Prompto only nodded and helped Noctis carry his stuff back to the car. Not that it was a lot or very heavy but he just really wanted to avoid going into the water.

“I’ll just take a shower in our room, I’ll be right b--”   
“But the ocean is literally just here. Come on Prompto you gotta show them your amazing swimming skills!”

Prompto was at a loss for words. How would he get out of this one? Maybe if they hadn’t stopped so many times on their way, they would be in Altissia now. Far away from Galdin and the ocean. They’d also be stuck in a storm but he’d still prefer that to his current situation.

“Ah, yeah. Sure Noct. I’ll be right there.” However would he get out of this number?

He took his sweet time changing into his swimming shorts. Thank the Astrals he decided to take them with him just in case. He had just hoped that the need wouldn’t arise in Galdin Quay of all places. He had an idea though.

“Hey guys how about we take a picture together? I never get us all in one picture.” Noctis was beaming, he loved the idea.  
“Hell yeah, man that sounds great let’s do it.” He basically dragged Gladio and Ignis up from their places in the sand.

Ignis had carefully started burying Gladio under a sand castle. The castle was now barely more than ruins. He was obviously upset about the turn of events but then again, it was just a sand castle.  
“You’ll help me rebuild this later, Noct.”  
“Yeah, yeah, come on Iggy!”

Prompto had set up the tripod on the jetty, close to the end of it so they could have the swimming hotel in the background. Maybe he’d take some more from different angles.

Of course he just wanted to distract them from the fact that he wasn’t setting a single toe into the water but he also just wanted to make memories. He wanted to take as many pictures as he could, so they could always think back to their vacation.

For their little photoshoot he had them pose in multiple poses. He took some of them separately too. For the last one he decided to do something different. There was this game he had heard of where someone sat on the shoulders of the other and they tried to push the other pair over. Admittedly it was usually played in the water and it was risky to play on the jetty but it could make for some really cool pictures.  
He also hoped it would make his friends worry a little less about him since he was obviously not afraid of losing. except that he was. He was terrified.  
Seeing as he was going to sit on Gladio’s shoulders and Noctis on Ignis’ shoulders, there was no way they would lose. At least that’s what he hoped.

Before he climbed on Gladio he set the timer on his camera to take a picture every two seconds. Hopefully they wouldn’t defeat Ignis and Noctis too fast. If they did they just had to keep playing didn’t they?

The first round was over sooner than it had begun as Ignis lost footing, due to Noctis losing his balance, and they both fell into the water before Gladio even had a chance to take a step in their direction. Prompto was dying of laughter and decided to just keep the camera running until the other two were ready to go again.

“Alright, this time we’re not going to lose.” Noctis was convinced he’d win somehow. Ignis surely would think of a strategy to take down the other two. Maybe he really had an idea but it didn’t work. They lost the second round too.

“Third time’s the charm.” Ignis said when they were ready to go again. These must be some amazing pictures. Noctis and Ignis were dripping wet. It was a miracle they didn’t just slip on the water. Noctis glanced down with a mischievous grin on his face. They had a plan. 

Suddenly Ignis and Noctis came charging for the other two, which already caught them off guard. But the two boys didn’t just try to push the others down into the water, they tried to tackle them. At this point Prompto was sure they weren’t even trying to win, they just wanted to see him and Gladio in the water.  
And they did.

Gladio lost footing as he stumbled over the edge, which dragged Prompto down too since he was still sitting on Gladio’s shoulders.  
Prompto tried to reach for Noctis hand to keep away from the water or at least drag them down too but he barely missed it. Ignis and Noctis had won. They stood triumphant at the edge of the jetty and high fived, which looked rather awkward given their current positions.

Ignis let Noctis climb down again just as Gladio had resurfaced and tried climbing up the jetty instead of swimming the long way around. Eventually he managed to pull himself up.

“Damn you guys”, he said before trying to push whoever was closest into the water. Noctis dodged his attempt and patted him on the shoulder.  
“I never thought you would be a sore loser.”  
The two boys were grinning and started laughing. It was good to see Gladio loosen up and relax, finally. Ignis however didn’t join in on their fun.

“Shouldn’t Prompto have resurfaced by now?” Now that he mentioned it Noctis and Gladio both took a glance down to the water. His too big swimming shorts were drifting on the surface which made them laugh.  
“I can’t believe he lost the shorts.” Noctis said between fits of laughter. He expected Promto to yell at him for laughing. Something along the lines of ‘Nooooct! Not funny!’ in that whiny voice of his, but nothing happened. 

Gladio lay down in the wood and took a look underneath. Maybe Prompto was hiding down there? It would make sense considering the situation. He wasn’t there either.

“Guys, I think we killed Prompto”, he said as he stood up again.  
“Not funny, big guy.” Noctis wasn’t having any of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know for a fact that you’re not supposed to go fishing in scorching heat. Both for your own health and because the fish aren’t biting anyway. Let’s just go with the fact that Noct is a good friend for Prompto and that he doesn’t care about what he catches. It’s not like he has to live off the fish anyway.
> 
> Please for the love of god don’t be stupid like the boys. This game is meant to be played in the water for a reason. Do not play on land, please I’m begging.


	3. Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no more room for hiding and Prompto has to deal with the consequences if he likes it or not. He never expected the outcome to be like this though.

Little did they know that Prompto was alive and well, just hiding. They weren’t too far off with their assumptions. Prompto was hiding underneath the jetty, just not at the surface but far far down. As he looked around for a way to escape, he saw a big silver fin, much like his own, disappear in the distance. He was probably just seeing things and shook his head to get rid of the image. He hadn’t seen other merfolk in years. That was absolutely his fault though, as he hasn’t stepped into his ocean since he was a child. 

Prompto looked up to the surface again. He could make out a shape that he assumed to be Gladio. Of course they were looking for him. He could see Gladio swimming in circles and diving down every now and then. Prompto was sitting too far down to be visible for him. They must be terrified. A regular human should have come up for air a long time ago but he was still sitting on the ground, trying to dig himself a hole in the mud. He was just worrying them. If they wouldn’t hate him for being a merman then they sure would hate him for making them worry.

But still. As much as he wanted to swim up to the surface again and explain everything, it felt too nice to watch up to the surface and see the sunlight dancing in the waves. It felt like home, like he belonged there. If his friends rejected him then at least he had a place to stay now.  
He just didn’t know what to do if they didn’t reject him. He couldn’t exactly just grow back legs and walk around. It would take forever to get this fishtail dry and he couldn’t risk being seen by strangers. At this point he would also rather not be seen by his friends if he was being honest.

Prompto sighed and scanned his surroundings. He knew that not too far off would be a cave but that cave was also popular among divers so he couldn’t risk that either. He had to wait until nighttime. It was going to be a long exhausting day, he just knew it.  
Eventually he looked up again. Gladio was still looking for him. Sometimes he also saw Noctis and Ignis. They must be so worried for him to still be looking.

He waited for another minute, maybe two, until he slowly made his way back to the surface. The further he made it up, the more he hesitated to reach the top. His hands were shaking and he already felt his stomach twisting in anxiety. He was still keeping his distance and waited for Gladio to disappear on the jetty again.   
Eventually he reached the water surface again and hid in the shadows of the wooden planks and behind one of the pillars. Slowly he tried to steady his breath. It was getting harder by the second but it wouldn’t get easier if he waited any longer. 

One of his hands reached up to the wooden way and he slowly pulled himself up until he could peek over the rim. He used to other hand to hesitantly wave at the three boys who were still scanning the water surface, hoping to see him come up again.

“Hi, guys.” His voice sounded shaky and strange, even to his ears. “Have you seen my shorts around?”

The three boys came to life at the exact same time and ran towards him. They wouldn’t even have found him if it wasn’t for the shyly waving hand because he still was barely peeking over the jetty. If it wasn’t for the hand supporting him he would just drop back into the water because he hid his tail far underneath the wooden planks. He desperately tried to avoid them seeing the shimmering tails instead of the normal human legs. His desperate smile looked fake, even to him, though he couldn’t see it himself.

“Prompto!” Noctis almost jumped into the water to cling to Prompto but as he saw the blond boy flinch, Ignis took a hold of Noctis’ shoulder to keep him on the jetty. Noctis got the hint and instead settled on sitting down right at the edge and staring the other boy down. 

“Dude where have you been!? Gladio has been looking all over for you!” Noctis gestured behind him where Gladio was standing. Gladio huffed in agreement but he looked like he would snap anyone in half if given the chance. Prompto made an effort to get out of his reach of anger.

“We’ve been worried sick you goddamn idiot!” Gladio only started insulting them if he was truly worried, that’s how Prompto knew he fucked up.  
Ignis nodded but kept quiet otherwise. He just reached down to hand Prompto his swimming shorts which the other accepted with a smile that actually reached his eyes.

“I’m sorry, guys.” He supposed starting off with an apology was the best strategy he could come up with.  
“Damn right, you better be.”   
Regardless of Gladio’s comment, Prompto just kept going. There was no use in pushing it away now. It wouldn’t get easier with time and he couldn’t run away now anyway.

“You know, there’s a reason I can’t come out of the water. I’m probably going to be stuck here for a while and before you say anything, please let me explain, or rather, show you.” Prompto pressed out the words as fast as he could possibly manage just in case his courage left him again. At first he was worried the other’s weren’t able to follow him but he didn’t have the guts to hesitate. Before any of them could say a word, he slowly lifted up his tail so they could see it but he was careful the tourists on the beach couldn’t see him.

If Noctis wasn’t already sitting, then Prompto was sure he would’ve fallen over. Gladio was responding to the issue at hand the only way he knew how. With anger. His face turned a weird shade of red and Prompto was convinced he would jump into the water and strangle him. In the most caring worried way.

“Woah there big guy, you’re scaring him”, Noctis yelled out before he put himself between Prompto and Gladio.  
“Gladio, please keep your temper in check. All of us are worried about him.” Ignis was as calm as ever but little did they know that he was already going through a catalogue of remedies inside his head.  
“I’m assuming this is some kind of curse that will wear off in due time.”

Of course they would think that. Why would they think anything else?   
“Actually”, Prompto continued his explanation, “it’s not a curse, Iggy. Never has been.” He tried to choose his words wisely for once but he wasn’t good with words.  
“I’ve always been like this.” As he spoke, he lowered the tail back into the water. It was getting exhausting to keep himself steadied on the jetty so he lowered himself back into the water.   
“Please don’t hate me.”

Noctis lost the ability to close his mouth for quite some time. At the same time Gladio desperately tried to relax his tense shoulders.   
“Prompto, we could never hate you. This doesn’t change who you are.” Ignis was the first one to regain his speech. “If anything it adds to your sparkling personality.”

Prompto stared at him for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. Of course Ignis would make a pun of his shimmering scales. Of course he would.   
It felt like a heavy weight was lifted off his chest and he just floated in the water, or maybe like he was actually flying. Noctis and Gladio started to laugh too, after the pun had set in.  
Moments later Gladio’s stomach started growling which earned him another few chuckles from the other boys.

“I suppose it is indeed time for lunch.” Ignis was already all business as always. “Gladio if you would be so kind as to light a campfire while Noctis helps me set up camp?” It was less a question than anything else.

Gladio nodded and already made his way back to the campsite. Even though they were almost out of supplies, none of them were worried. Ignis could come up with something no matter how dire the situation.

“Don’t worry, Prom! We won’t let you starve out here”, Noct said as he gathered his limbs and made his way back after Gladio.  
Ignis lingered just a little longer and gave Prompto a kind and reassuring smile.  
“Try not to overthink the situation, Prompto. You are still just the same Prompto we always knew.” He began making his way back but stopped again after a few steps “I’m still convinced the others have a few questions for you. I guess those will have to wait until later though.”

Ignis waved goodbye for the time being and made his way back to the beach for good this time. Prompto couldn’t be more relieved and it showed. After all the stress was finally lifted off his shoulders, he allowed himself to shed a few tears that had gathered in the corners of his eyes. Then he dove back down under the water and started exploring the surroundings. It would be a while until lunch and even longer until he could safely leave the ocean without the risk of being seen.

He had never been more grateful to call Gladio, Ignis and Noctis his friends.

\- - -

Quite some time later, after exploring a good part of the Galdin ocean, the swimming shorts were securely stored under a rock at the bottom below the hotel, and noticing a few changes that had occurred during the past years (like the changing fish population and growing diversity in fauna) he dared to risk a glimpse out of the water. He had to find that Noctis indeed wanted to keep his promise so he hurried and made his way over to the jetty again.

“Dude, I’ve been starving!” Noctis was almost startled to death. He really needed some more time to get used to his friend being a half fish. “Thanks Noct, you’re the best.”  
Prompto pulled himself up with one arm again and started digging into the food.  
“This is amazing”, he said, as he finally took the time to actually breathe while eating.  
“I know, right? I swear Ignis is actually a magician when it comes to food.”  
Prompto was back to eating again so he opted to just nodding in response. 

Then it grew quiet again between the two boys. It wasn’t a bad quiet, just the two of them tangled in their own thoughts, trying to make out what to do with the situation. It wasn’t like they couldn’t go on like usual with Prompto being a merman, but it certainly added a little extra to their journey.

“So, does this mean you can help me with the fishing now?” Noctis was looking at Prompto expectantly.  
“Are you asking me to tell my friends to swim into a deathtrap?!” Noctis looked at him with wide eyes. Now that he thought about it that question might have been a little over top.”  
“Wait, Prom sorry, that’s not what I--” But before he could finish stuttering his apology Prompto started laughing at him.  
“Dude you should’ve seen your face!” He was still laughing when Noctis splashed water right in his face. “It’s not like that but I’m still not helping you. It would feel … wrong.”

Noctis could respect that. He wasn’t really serious about the question anyway.  
When Prompto was done eating, he pushed the plate a little further back and sunk back down into the water. It was great to be able to swim like this again, after all these years.

“I bet a chocobo lure would work on you.” Noctis only realized that he had said that out loud when a splash of cold water hit his face.   
“You’re such an ass.” Prompto said before he pulled Noctis down with him in the water.   
“Wow what was that for!?” It took a lot more effort for Noctis to stay on top of the water, than it did for Prompto, who seemed to float about effortlessly. Prompto shrugged his shoulders, grabbed Noctis’ wrist and then dragged him along through the water, careful not to accidentally drown his best friend; and crown prince.  
That would be bad.

Prompto’s yellow scales shimmered golden in the sun and the sunlight dancing on the waves almost made him disappear in the water. Almost. The freckles that were spreading over his entire body grew bigger in size as they went down, until they littered his fish tail in a orange-ish colour. He was beautiful.

As he was being gently pulled through the water, Noctis couldn’t keep his eyes off Prompto’s shimmering scales. The view was mesmerizing. He could spend the entire day like this if he was being honest. Prompto taking care of him and the waves gently rocking him almost had him fall asleep, though that would’ve been a bad idea.

The water felt amazing as it surrounded Prompto completely. It made him feel like he was truly home for once. It felt right to swim like this.

The hours passed with Prompto and Noctis carelessly swimming around and getting farther and farther away from the quay so they didn’t have to worry about anyone spotting Prompto. Gladio and Ignis made sure that Noctis took breaks every now and then. If he liked it or not, he still was a human and had to act like one.

The sun was slowly setting behind the horizon and Ignis put on a shirt, as the temperature was dropping noticeably. Gladio however was perfectly okay with staying the way he was. Ignis was already starting to prepare dinner as Ignis looked out at the water.

“I sure hope they’re coming back soon. I’m starving.”  
“I assure you, their stomachs will lead them back soon enough. I just ask you to not overwhelm dear Prompto with your questions. I am sure he will tell us everything in due time.”  
Gladio rested his back against the camping chair and sighed.  
“I know I can be a bit harsh but come on Iggy, give me some credit here okay. I’m trying.”

And try he did.

In a cave close to the beach Prompto was dragging himself out of the water. It would be highly unlikely for any tourists to show up at this hour. Before leaving the ocean he had gathered his swimming shorts from the ground, as Noctis went to the camp and picked up a few towels to help him get dry.

Prompto was able to drag out the transformation just a little longer at will but not that much longer. Just before he knew he would trade his tail back for two legs he asked Noctis to kindly turn around. When he got up and put on the shorts again, Prompto let out a sad sigh and pat Noctis on the back. It felt weird to walk on two legs again after spending the day in the water.

“I’m starving Prom, let’s get back to the others.”

Noctis gently put one of Prompto’s arms over his shoulders and slowly led him back to the campsite. Hopefully Gladio wouldn’t try an interrogation. He really wasn’t in the mood for that now.

“I hope Iggy whipped up something good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 might take a while but it's going to be a little less intense from now on! I have a few plot ideas here and there that just need to be pieced together. Stay tuned. :3c


	4. Miscommunication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bros finally have a long needed talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long! Things came up and then I kinda lost motivation but all the kudos I keep getting made me write again! I have more chapters planned and I promise there will be actual plot eventually!

After dinner they collectively headed over to the hotel to spend the night. It had been an eventful day and they all could use some relaxing.

Everyone eventually finished up their showers and changed into comfortable clothes. Prompto had just snuggled under his blanket in his and Noct’s shared bed, when Gladio gently threw a pillow at him. Not hard enough to actually hurt but definitely hard enough to keep him awake.

“Oh, come on Gladio! I’m tired!” Prompto wanted nothing more than to bury his head in the pillow and fall asleep right this very exact moment.

“No way. You’re not falling asleep now. Get up Prom, you promised to answer questions.

The younger boy groaned but sat back up again. He stayed wrapped in the blanket and pulled it just a bit tighter around his shoulders, even though it was far from cold in their hotel room.

He tried to prepare himself for the questions that were to follow. He had been secretly hoping, that they would at least wait until morning for the endless stream of questions. He still feared that the others would simply interrogate him and then ditch him in the morning. Maybe they would get up at night and tie him to the bed and leave him to die. Maybe they will pour seawater over him while he’s still asleep and then call the authorities and have him carted to some kind of lab where he will then suffer and die. 

Before his thoughts could downspiral into the abyss even more, Gladio walked over to pick up his pillow again. He stopped shortly to put a hand on Prompto’s shoulder and squeezed slightly.

“Hey, no need to worry”, Gladio tried to reassure him.  
“Yeah! We’re just trying to figure out how to deal with … all this.” Noctis said as he vaguely gestured to all of Prompto while trying not to laugh.

“Alright, what do you guys wanna know?”

Ignis spoke up before the others had a chance to raise their voices. He pushed his glasses further up his nose, using his index finger, before settling down on one of the chairs in the room.

“We don’t want to start an interrogation. Just the basics on how to deal with this …. Situation should suffice.” Ignis offered a gentle smile before leaning back. He had advised Gladio to keep his temper in check as to not scare their friend off. It must have been hard enough for him already.

“Yeah, dude, you don’t have to tell us anything you don’t want to say”, Noctis added quickly.

Prompto rubbed at his eyes suspiciously, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to gather and spill over his freckled cheeks. He nodded and then put his hands back down again. He was filled with love and adoration and a wave of relief that had washed over him and left him cleansed and hopeful.

“If you don’t know where to start maybe you could just”, Gladio started, trying to add his own two cents, “You could maybe tell us why that never happened back in school?” It was a good idea for a start, right? It was definitely worth knowing and asking about.

“Yes! Prom you spent almost every free minute in the school pool but I swear you always had legs!” Noctis’ voice was glazed with confusion and maybe a hint of irritation. Prompto thought he might exaggerate a little when it came to the time spent in water but he could also not deny it entirely.

“That’s because the water is important.” He really could have worded that better. Of course water was important, duh.  
After seeing the confusion in all of their faces he quickly added, “I mean, the type of water. Minerals and all that stuff. Every ocean is different, you know?”

That made sense. At least it made to him, so he stared at them, fidgeting with the edges of his blanket and waiting for a reaction. Slowly they nodded.

“Then why did you suddenly grow a fishtail here of all places??” Noctis couldn’t help himself. The words blurted out before he could stop them, his voice rising slightly in frustration.  
He still struggled with wrapping his head around things, even after spending most of his day in the water with Prompto.

Prompto first just smiled. He couldn’t exactly tell why he was grinning like that, considering his stomach was still mildly twisting in anxiety.

“Because it’s home.”

His voice contained so much love and happiness that it made the other three just stare at him. Prompto’s eyes seemed to sparkle with adoration and for a second Noctis thought he made the other boy cry again and was about to jump up and hug him. He didn’t mean to upset him.

Prompto missed his old home, but there was no use dwelling on that now. He still had his memories, that’s all that matters.

“I assume you won’t turn into a merman once we arrive in Altissia and you should somehow fall out of a gondola?”

Prompto shook his head no, laughing slightly and grinning wide. It was a sight that burned itself into Noct’s brain. His hands still hovered over Prompto’s shoulders in case he needed support but if he was being honest: He had never seen Prompto this happy before.

“Not if I don’t want to.” It felt liberating to be able to talk freely. His friends didn’t press the topic and he could just talk about it like it was a part of him, not realizing that it was indeed a part of him that he couldn’t change. The acceptance felt amazing. All fear and anxiety seemed to slowly drip off his shoulders, dripping to the floor and flowing away.

His friends accepted him like he was and he couldn’t be happier.

“Alright I guess that’s enough info for one day. At least we now have someone who can pull the boat if the engine breaks down.” Gladio gave a friendly pat on Prompto’s shoulder before finally walking over to his bed.

“If you can deal with the speed.” Prompto might be getting a bit ahead of himself. Pulling a boat all the way to Altissia would be draining, even for him. Not to mention that a boat definitely weighed more than just one Person.  
“As if a whimp like you would even make us feel a breeze.” Gladio was laughing and the atmosphere was the most carefree it had been in a long time.

Maybe not everything would be bad.

“Alright, this is quite enough bickering. Let us head to bed, I need you all to be well rested in the morning.” Ignis, all business again.

Prompto yawned and was about to lie down again when he was tackled by the prince.

“Don’t hog all the blankets, Arielle”, he said, pulling at the blankets in vain.  
“C'mon dude, i'm cold!”

Prompto laughed and gave in eventually. As if the prince could really be cold considering they had to basically cling to eachother to share the small space. How Ignis and Gladio managed to fit in their bed was beyond him.

After just a little while longer, Gladio finally killed the lights and put the book away he had been reading all day. Soon enough the room was calm and quiet and only the sound of the waves made its way through the open window.

Just as he was about the fall asleep, Prompto felt a tug at his shirt.  
“Does it hurt?” It was weird for Noctis to not be asleep yet. He was usually the first one out.  
“What do you mean?” Prompto whispered back, without turning around.  
“When you turn.”  
There was a short pause in which Prompto thought over his words. He was tired and exhausted and honestly just wanted to sleep already.  
“No”, he said, finally.  
Another pause followed and Prompto already thought the other might have fallen asleep again, before he heard the whispered “Good.” and felt the prince snuggle closer to his back and finally close his eyes. After a while he felt Noctis relaxing again. He had finally fallen asleep. 

It didn’t take long for Prompto to follow his example and finally drift off into the land of dreams.

\- - - 

The morning was much less eventful. The storm in Altissia had finally carried on to another place, so they could finally set sail and leave behind Galdin Quay. Getting ready to leave felt a bit bittersweet for dear Prompto. Now that the others finally knew his secret, he didn’t have to keep it hidden any longer. He could just spent the day in the ocean, his home, but of course he was looking forward to Altissia. He had never crossed the sea before so he was excited for their trip to the foreign city.

To Prompto’s surprise, the others seem to have dragged the prince out of the room way earlier than he was used to. Soon enough he had finished his morning routine and went to join the others for breakfast. Weirdly enough they weren’t sitting in the restaurant. Maybe their funds really had suffered too much. Maybe Ignis just wanted to make sure that they could still afford the Leville in Altissia.

He closed the door to their room behind himself and made his way to the beach where he assumed the others to be. Where else would they be anyway. Gladio met him halfway and led him to the campsite.  
“Can you believe Iggy managed to drag him out at the asscrack of dawn for fishing.”

It wasn’t really a question that needed an answer because they both knew that Noctis would do many things for fishing. It was almost ridiculous, yet at the same time quite endearing.

“At least it got us breakfast, right, big guy?” 

Gladio still huffed at the nickname but didn’t object it anymore. 

“That’s true. Come on little guy, or you’ll miss it.”

Prompto let himself be dragged to the scent of breakfast. It smelt heavenly. Of course it did, it was Iggy’s cooking after all.  
Seeing the fish sitting in a pan, waiting for its destiny - or maybe it was too late for that now - let an idea grow in Prompto’s head. He grinned and sneaked around Ignis to get a closer look at the fish.

Then he gasped. Loudly. Pointing wildly at the dead fish and making incoherent sounds that maybe were supposed to be words or sentences.

Ignis carefully set down the pan, turning down the heat and turning back to Prompto, who looked like he was about to cry.

“Prompto, please don’t tell me you refuse to eat fish now.” It was way too early for Ignis to keep his usual speech pattern and the worry about his friend only let him slip further into casual speech.

“I had to drag Noctis out of bed for this, Prompto. Dragged.”

The other two had joined in on the ruckus and glanced between Ignis and Prompto, not sure what to make of the situation.

“No, Iggy. Iggy listen--” Prompto took a deep breath, calming himself just slightly before speaking again.

“Iggy, you just cooked aunt Petunia. I thought I’d never seen her again.”

It took a second but the responses were immediate. Prompto had never seen Ignis lose control over his face like this. Seeing his friend’s expression fall apart like this made him feel bad about the joke immediately.

“Ignis, oh my god, I’m sorry.” Upsetting his friends like this was the farthest from his intentions. Though he had to admit, it was a damn stupid joke. Bad idea.

“I’m sorry Iggy, it was a joke please don’t be upset.” Prompto closed the distance between them and hugged Ignis. It was one of the few ways he knew how to cheer up people. 

“Prompto, I have to admit”, Ignis started, his voice a bit more quiet than usual, “your humor is absolute shit in the morning.”

Prompto pulled away and looked at Ignis in shock. He never used such words. Ignis didn’t curse. He barely ever said damn so hearing him say shit was like a small child saying fuck right in front of Santa.

“Iggy, I’m so very sorry.”

Ignis hesitated but seeing Prompto’s shocked face just made him laugh. His whole body was shaking, as Prompto still held onto his arms. The shock on Prompto’s face slowly turned into confusion, which only grew as the other two joined in Ignis’ laughing.

Soon he was surrounded by his friends’ cheerful laughter and only he himself seemed to have missed the joke.

“Oh, you guys are the worst.” He said as he finally joined them.  
“Says the one who jokes about eating relatives.” Noctis pressed out between laughter.

After they’d finally calmed down, Gladio and Ignis both patted the other boys on their shoulders.  
“Come on let’s finally go to Altissia.”

And leave for Altissia, they finally did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! I also need to update a few tags. I really didn't want to make this a ship fic because there's so little platonic chocobros but while planning the fic ran away from me and it turned into Promptis. I'm sorry already for those of you who had hoped to avoid this ship;;;


	5. Heartache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He tried so hard and got so far  
> but in the end it doesn't even matter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was stuck for so long and then I wrote basically the whole chapter last night. Huh.

Halfway across the ocean, even Prompto had gotten sick of the view. He wasn’t allowed to go for a swim and even less, turn into a fish, since they wouldn’t be able to get him dry until they reached Altissia. That was saved for emergencies.

 

So, in short, it was the most boring trip he had ever been on.

 

The water was deep blue and reflected the sun like thousands of crystals were sitting just underneath the surface. Small waves hit their boat, gently rocking it from one side to the other. As beautiful as the play of light along the rough surface seemed, it was rather boring to watch. Of course at first it had been absolutely stunning and incredible. Prompto would’ve never thought he’d be able to see such a beautiful play of sunrays from atop the water surface. Soon enough it lost its magic though, as it was the only thing to look at for quite some time. Too much time.

 

He sighed and got up from his seat in the back of their boat, making his way to the front to find something to occupy himself with. Slowly he walked up and down, looking outside the window and trying to spot something on the horizon that wasn’t just water and sky, but no such luck.

 

Soon enough Ignis had enough of his restless pacing and sent him to the back again to “Play cards with Noctis or whatever”. He even lost his refined speech. That’s how you knew Ignis was really damn annoyed. Well at least he now had a reason to spend some quality time with Noctis. Too bad the prince had decided to flop down in the sun and take a nap.

 

Maybe Noct had the right idea.

 

Prompto sat down next to Noctis, with his shoulder leaning against the softly snoring prince, closed his eyes and soon enough had drifted off to sleep.

 

\- - - 

 

He was woken up rather abruptly by his support disappearing and falling, face first, flat to a hard surface. Grumbling and rubbing his hurt nose, he used the other hand to slowly push himself back up again. Gladio had pulled up the soft pillow that had been Noctis, who was just as annoyed by the turn of events as Prompto.

 

“Dude, what was that for”, Prompto complained, trying to sound accusing but failing miserably, his voice still heavy with sleep.

 

“We’re there”, was all Gladio had to offer as an answer. True enough, they had just passed the intimidatingly huge gates and now followed an enclosed water street to the Altissian harbour. It was a beautiful view. The stunning white buildings, reflecting on the water surface and making it hard to distinguish between solid city and water, almost took Prompto’s breath away. He was wide awake in just seconds.

 

Faster than he had ever thought possible, he jumped to his feet, swaying just slightly from his still half asleep brain, and hurried to grab the camera he had stored in a bag for safety against the water. You could never be careful enough after all. Now those safety measures were thrown overboard as he took picture after picture of the nearing city.

 

“I think we’ve lost him.” Gladio chuckled and ruffled Prompto’s chocobo hair. The smaller boy paid it no mind, too engrossed in his photography to pay any attention to his surroundings.

If only he had paid more attention, then he would have noticed Noctis’ annoyed huff. He wasn’t jealous of course. A foreign city couldn’t be  _ that _ distracting could it?

 

As it turns out, he was wrong. It could be  _ very _ distracting.

 

\- - - 

 

Dragging their luggage to the hotel and checking into their room proved to be very difficult. None of them had ever been to Altissia and the place was a goddamn  _ maze _ . They had no way of knowing that it wasn’t a long walk from where their boat had been. It was just through security and then to the left. They would have just had to follow the street. It was almost impossible to miss the leville. How did they even manage to end up at a  _ bar _ of all places?!

 

Thank the astrals they didn’t bring more than was necessary, so the bags weren’t too heavy to carry around all day. Except that they weren’t doing any carrying and instead sat down in a beautifully lit bar, that was floating on top of the water and could only be reached by gondola. Why the gondolier had brought them there, they had no clue. Maybe they had looked desperate and in need of a drink. Only half of them were even legally allowed to drink. 

This was stupid.

 

The man handling their orders, all very non alcoholic, had introduced himself as Weskham. He looked friendly enough and always had this look on his face as if he was having an entire conversation in his head about how ridiculous the boys were being. Even if he was a bit condescending on them, he still was very kind and most of all helpful, letting them stay for a while and then giving them directions to the hotel.

 

Before the boys could depart he made his way around the counter and took a look at them, especially Noctis, but also having a lingering glance to Prompto. Maybe it was just his imagination running wild though.

 

“You’ve grown up so much.” Standard i’ve-last-seen-you-as-a-toddler announcement.

“Yeah, figures I guess.” Noct answered with a casual shrug and Ignis looked like he was about to jump the prince, muttering something that sounded a lot like  _ ‘Manners’ _ .

Weskham paid it no mind, laughing and grinning as if he was surrounded by his best friends.

“You remind me a lot of Regi, when we were younger. A lot younger.” Noctis didn’t exactly know what to reply to that so he just shrugged again and Prompto could’ve sworn that Gladio actually had to hold Ignis back.

 

A few moments of silence followed but it wasn’t awkward. Okay maybe a little.

The sun had set by now and the air was considerably colder but not as cold as it would have been back in Lucis. All the water made the temperature drop a lot slower.

 

“I’m assuming you will be able to find your way alright?” Before Noctis could embarrass himself and in turn Ignis even more, Iggy stepped between them and nodded.

“Yes, we should be able to locate the Leville now”, he said with a subtle bow. “Thank you for your hospitality.” He turned to leave but not before subtly, very gently, nudging Noct and giving him a  _ look _ . Thank the Astrals, Noctis got the hint and turned to Weskham who still looked at him fondly, almost like his father did.

“Yeah, uh, thanks.”

Ignis sighed in defeat. He was done for the day, just, completely and utterly done. He wasn’t paid enough to deal with Noct’s shenanigans after sunset. Iggy had just decided that today’s shift was  _ over _ .

 

Prompto couldn’t wait to finally crash into the bed. He hadn’t noticed until now but the day had definitely eaten up all his energy. Well maybe not all of it, not yet anyway. Altissia was even more stunning at night and he couldn’t pass up this chance. Of course they were staying a couple more days and he technically had lots of time for pictures, but he was still Prompto. He just  _ had _ to take pictures. There was no way he would be waiting until tomorrow. He could still wait until they had dropped off their bags though.

 

Most likely he would have to go alone, since the others were all pretty beat. A look at his friends told him that they all needed a break. They were exhausted from the long journey to Altissia and then trying to find their way through this maze. 

 

It hadn’t been easy but with Weskham’s description and a friendly gondolier, they finally made it to the Leville and booked their room for the rest of the week.

They even had a room with four beds, amazing isn’t it. Finally they got to take a break and rest and take a shower and feel clean again.

Iggy was the first to go. He hadn't even waited for any of them to argue. He just, made a beeline to the bathroom and locked the door. Poor Iggy must be all kinds of exhausted.

Next up was Prompto, who had won against the others in rock-paper-scissors.

From behind the door he could hear chattering and some of Iggy’s godawful puns before the other two finally got hin to lie down and sleep.

After his shower was done, Prompto put on a fresh set of clothes and put the camera strap around his neck, ready to leave for a photoshoot.

 

“Where are you going?” Gladio lightly grabbed his arm, enough to stop him from just walking away but not enough to hurt or really keep him in place.

“Dude, have you looked at this town at night? I totally have to get some shots of this!” Prompto was basically buzzing in place, vibrating in excitement but being considerate enough to not yell and wake up Iggy. Gladio was about to let go when Noctis stepped out of the bathroom, wearing boxershorts and a towel around his neck.

“At least don’t go alone”, he said as he walked over to his open bag and started putting on clothes again.

“Alright, alright, but hurry up, Noct!” 

 

Gladio let go of Prompto, who in turn walked over to the door ready to yank it open and run outside but he stopped at the last second. He didn’t exactly want anyone, who might be walking by, seeing the prince in his underwear.

Noctis huffed but eventually put on his boots again and straightened. Prompto was urging him again to hurry up and to not forget his keycard. They wouldn’t want to be locked outside overnight. Not that it was very cold at night in Altissia but Prompto still preferred a bed to any bench they might have to end up sleeping on.

  
  


While walking through the city and the shutter of Prompto’s camera going off relentlessly, they kept a safe distance while walking. It was a comfortable distance. Enough to not be constantly touching but not enough to occasionally walk into each other. Especially when Prompto suddenly stopped walking and adjusted his position to get the best pictures of the seemingly floating lights above the water surface. Altissia really was a magical place at night.

They didn’t really talk, Prompto too absorbed in whatever he saw through his camera lens and Noctis too occupied with watching over him and smiling happily. Prompto really seemed to be having the time of his life. It was relaxing to see him this relaxed and happy for a change.

 

Eventually they had made their way past bridges and through seemingly secret passages (but all of Altissia seemed to be made of secret passages) and eventually they had made their way almost back to the hotel. Prompto seemed to be more than satisfied with the pictures he managed to take but there was one last shot he wanted to take.

 

“Hey, Noct?” He knew that the other boy must be incredibly tired by now, just watching him indulge in his hobby and Prompto wasn’t even talking to him! Suddenly he felt kinda bad for dragging the prince outside for half of the night. It must have been half of the night by now, right?

 

“Mhmm?” Noct didn’t show any signs of being tired. He seemed to be wide awake and watched Prompto fiddle with the strap of his camera. Honestly he was probably just happy to do normal people things for once. Looking at the sights they could reach by foot and taking lots of pictures. He had even gotten to pose for some selfies with Prompto. He couldn’t wait to take a better look at all of the pictures. They were almost guaranteed to be amazing, perfect even.

 

“Let’s go up here, i want to get a picture of the sky, but the lights are too bright down here.” Prompto gestured to one of the stairs that led up all the way to one of the gondola stations. As far as they knew it was the highest place in the city they could reach right now. Noctis nodded and gestured for Prompto to lead the way.

 

“Alright, you’re the boss.” Prompto grinned at that. He was the furthest from being the boss of anything but that just made him smile brighter. Somehow spending all this time close to Noctis and spending this much time with him only made the feelings restricting his chest grow even bigger. He knew long before this trip that he had developed a teeny tiny crush on his best friend but ever since they spent the day swimming together in Galdin he knew that the teeny tiny crush might have grown to at least a little crush. Or maybe a medium sized crush.

He was pretty sure Noctis didn’t feel the same about him though. Besides, he could totally deal with a small crush. No big deal.

 

They finally reached the top and even though there were still streetlights clouding the clear sky and hiding a good portion of the stars, it was still one of the most beautiful views Prompto ever saw in his entire life. Not at last due to the fact that Noctis was being illuminated by the moon and dull light of the streetlamp  _ just so _ , that he looked even more beautiful than usually. If that was even possible. Well turns out it was.

Prompto couldn’t help himself and snuck a picture of just Noctis too, for his collection. Not that he really kept any of the pictures secret.

 

“Prom?” The boy in question hadn’t noticed how much closer Noctis had come to him. Black hair almost tickled his face as Noctis stared at him. Prompto couldn’t tell what exactly he was looking at. He just knew that the startled noise that left him was anything but manly. His face lit up in bright red and might as well have been as bright as the streetlamp.

“What is it, Noct?” His voice was quiet and strained. It took a lot of effort from him to have any noise leave him at all.

 

“Your freckles almost look like the stars above.”

 

It felt like all air had been knocked from Prompto’s lungs. Maybe he had been wrong? Maybe Noct liked him after all?

Before he could say anything though, Noctis took a step back, then another and looked back to the sky again, as if trying to make sure that he was indeed seeing the stars on Prompto’s face. As if he tried to compare them.

 

Prompto took a breath and tried to gulp down the lump that had formed in his throat. It seemed to try and make him unable to speak. He swallowed again, and again. Then he licked his lips, trying desperately to make a sound, to say a word. His chest felt so much tighter. Maybe there was just a slight chance that Noct liked him back --?

 

“Noct, I”, he started, not entirely sure what he wanted to say. He wanted to say anything, perhaps everything. He wanted to say too much and all at once.

 

Noctis had turned to look at him, frowning slightly at Prompto and taking one small step back in his direction. Thank the Astrals that most of the city was asleep already. No one would be coming up here, especially without the gondolas running. If anyone saw them right now, Prompto would have combusted into stardust probably. At least he’d hoped it would be stardust. Noct’s comparison stuck with him already.

Noctis reached out a hand to-- He didn’t exactly know what he wanted to do. His frown deepened when Prompto took his hand, interlacing their fingers and holding it tightly. His hands were shaking.

 

“Noctis I”, he tried again, willing himself to speak past the lump still sitting in his throat and unwilling to move. The wind was chilly and ruined his hair but he couldn't care less at this point. Noctis however seemed to care a lot and pushed a loose strand of hair behind Prompto’s ear. Turns out he had ordered a Venti Crush with extra cream and sugar down at Astralbucks.

 

“I like you.” There. He said it. He wasn’t sure if Noctis was even able to hear him since the wind had picked up considerably by now and was probably louder than his voice. Noctis mustered him with a confused look.

“I know.”

“What?”

“That’s why we’re best friends, right?”

“No, that’s not--” It felt like his chest had grown even tighter. He had been wrong after all. He had been horribly horribly wrong. But he dug his grave so now he’s gonna lie in it.

“Noct I like you”, he took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice, “more than as a best friend.”

 

What followed was the most awkward silence in the history of Lucis. Though it might not have been as silent as he thought because the gears in Noct’s brain were working and whirring and trying to make sense of the words until eventually spitting out a solution. His best friend had just confessed to him.

“Oh.”

If Prompto were to die right now he wanted that one-syllable-word written down on his gravestone. It seemed to describe his life perfectly.

 

Oh. He’s a fat child struggling to make friends.

Oh. He’s a child desperately trying to lose weight to be accepted.

Oh. He’s a pleb befriending the prince.

Oh. He’s actually a half fish.

Oh. He’s fallen in love with his best friend.

Oh. Was all the answer he had gotten in return.

 

Sometimes that’s just how things are.

 

Prompto took another breath, then another. He steadied his breath and heartbeat enough to muster one of his signature smiles again.

 

“Sorry dude, you must be so tired from today, let’s just go back to the hotel, alright?” He put one of his arms over Noct’s shoulder and hurried him down the stairs again. It wasn’t a long walk but the tension was thick enough you could cut it with a knife.

Thank the astrals it wasn’t a long walk.

 

They made it back without any incidents. Gladio and Ignis were already sleeping and for once Prompto was incredibly glad that they had all gotten separate beds. That would have been the worst night in his entire life.

 

\- - -

 

The next morning was quiet. Prompto and Noctis sat in awkward silence. Prompto had tried to make conversation, to keep up the facade and to laugh and make jokes and keep the mood at it’s highest. Noctis didn’t react to any of it though, so Prompto gave up eventually.

Ignis and Gladio shared quick glances but decided not to ask. If they’d had a fight the last night then they wouldn’t concern themselves with it. Even if Noctis was their responsibility, it still didn’t feel like it was their business.

 

Oh if it had only been a fight. Prompto could have dealt with a fight.

 

\- - -

 

After breakfast they decided to pay Weskham another visit. Not to spend the day there again and hope for free food, but to get some recommendations for activities they could do in the city. They knew that they wanted to visit the coliseum at least once but there had to be more to Altissia, right?

 

With his thoughts being all over the place, Prompto was even clumsier than usual and so it just had to happen sooner or later. They left the hotel, making their way to one of the gondola stations leading to the swimming bar, when Prompto finally stumbled over his own feet and fell right into the water. It was early morning so not many people were around, it was still embarrassing though.

Noctis offered a helping hand to his friend who just looked up and stared at him.

 

“Actually, I’ve wanted to explore Altissia from below too.”

 

Before any of them could say anything he had peeled off his camera bag (waterproof, thank the astrals) and disappeared in the dark of the water.

Noctis prayed that no one had seen the shimmering golden fin.

Gladio and Ignis sighed, putting a hand on Noct’s shoulder and urging him to get up and not cause even more of a scene.

 

“Let him be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me;;;


	6. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few things get settled.

They hurried to leave the scene and make their way to Weskham’s. There was no use in trying to pursue their merman friend. Who knew, maybe he’d come back soon enough. Maybe he was already back at the hotel or maybe he’d gone ahead and was waiting for them already.

All the maybes didn’t make it any easier for Noctis to sort through his thoughts. He knew damn well why Prompto had fled so suddenly and he was very well aware that it was his fault too. He felt horrible about all this.

Ignis and Gladio had to basically drag him the rest of the way. The prince was too caught up in his own thoughts to pay any attention to his surroundings. But they made it. Eventually.

It was still quiet and the rising sun made everything glow in an orange light. The bar was beautiful but couldn’t compare to the view they had of the ocean and waterfall. Prompto would’ve loved this.

“Wasn’t there one more of you?”

The still tired sounding voice of Weskham forcibly pulled Noctis from his thoughts but he still couldn’t find it in himself to actually answer him. Instead he stared at him, thoughts still kind of occupied by a certain blond. He liked Prompto. A lot even. But did he like him like that? It was all so sudden and now Prompto was somewhere underneath Altissia and it was all Noctis’ fault.

“Yeah, the idiot fell into the water and is changing at the hotel room.”

Weskham eyed the camera dangling from Gladio’s hands with suspicion and the boys shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

“I take it he’s not from here then? If he didn’t shift immediately.” 

Even Ignis lost his pokerface for a second, just long enough to have a winning grin appear on Weskham’s face. How did he know? He couldn’t know, even they had only just learned about that a few days ago. There was no way Weskham could know about Prompto.

“What exactly would Prompto be shifting to?” Ignis made sure to keep his voice steady and sprinkle it with a hint of amusement. Weskham didn’t buy it. Probably because both Gladio and Noctis were absolute idiots and just stared with wide eyes and open mouths. Noctis more obviously than Gladio.

“You know there’s more of us than just your friend, right? We can sense eachother.”

Gladio risked a careful look around the bar. There were no other visitors who could drop in to listen. The tension in the air hung heavy but Weskham either didn’t notice or he didn’t care. Either way he let out a chuckle, clapping his hand on Noct’s shoulder and leaned in closer to the boys.

“Come on let’s get some breakfast into you and then we’ll talk.”

 

\- - -

 

If it hadn’t been as early as it was, with a conversation no one really wanted to have, Ignis might have frowned at the plate of almost pure sugar sitting in front of Noctis. As it were right now, he didn’t pay it too much attention though, which Noctis used to pour another drop of syrup all over his pancakes.

“I suppose you’ve got questions?”

Noctis cleared his throat after gulping down an especially big piece of pancake and almost gasped for air. He didn’t know when Ignis would take away his sugary treat so every bite he did take counted.

“Yeah, like, how do you know all this.”

Ignis looked at Noctis as if he was offended with his lack of discreteness before Gladio let out a laugh over his coffee. 

“Use your ears, princess, he just said he was one of them.”

“He did?” Noctis asked before shoving another piece of pancake in his mouth with no hint of being done any time soon. He still had a small mountain sitting in front of him.

“Yeah, but I’m not from around here so I won’t have any accidents.”

 

\- - -

 

Time passed with the sun rising high into the sky, guests streaming into the floating bar and enjoying the view while eating Weskham’s exquisite meals, and the sun sinking towards the horizon again.

After the first few guests had arrived they didn’t have much chance to speak with Weskham anymore. Instead they agreed to help him out a bit. It was the least they could do.

The more time passed the more fidgety Noctis became. He kept glancing over his shoulder towards the gondola station, always hoping to see Prompto showed up. There was a nagging fear sitting deep in his gut that after yesterday’s disaster he wouldn’t come back again.

Of course everyone else was also worried. Gladio and Ignis had their fair share of glances toward the gondola station but they were positive that Prompto would be waiting at the hotel room when they came back.

Even Weskham glanced over every now and then, expecting the other to show up eventually but he never did. 

“I thought your friend was just getting into something dry?” He’d used to opportunity to ask when the bar had died down for the time being. It would fill up soon enough again with the setting sun. No one wanted to miss a sight like that. Noctis looked at Ignis for help. He’d just put a foot in his mouth like the evening before and then he’d ruin everything even more.

“Perhaps he was more embarrassed than we had first assumed.”

Yes. Yes that sounded just like Prompto. He would have no issues with staying at the hotel room all day and play King’s Knight. However, he would’ve called or texted them if he wasn’t going to catch up.

“And he won’t even leave you a message?” Damn.

“Maybe his phone was damaged in the w--” But Ignis didn’t get a chance to complete his sentence. Weskham cut into his word with a frustrated groan.

“Cut the crap if you let him shift you need to tell me! It’s dangerous down there!” He slammed both hands on the countertop earning a few confused stares from the guests and successfully shutting up the three boys. He lowered his voice again before he continued.

“Listen, there’s dark stuff going on down there and he doesn’t seem very experienced with his abilities, you can’t just leave him in unknown canals. What were you thinking!?”

It took a moment for them to digest the information thrown at them.

They were sure that Prompto could take care of himself either way but if they engaged in the conversation, maybe Weskham would tell them exactly what was so dangerous about Altissia. There had to be something, right? He wouldn’t just say this if he wasn’t truly concerned. That fact alone was enough to make them crack, to make them consider telling him, confirming his suspicions. They trusted Prompto to Protect himself but still. Weskham had stirred a worry in them that hadn’t been there before.

“How do you--” Noct tried to ask but was interrupted again, this time by Gladio.

“What do you mean it’s not save?!”

Gladio had always had troubles containing his temper and this time was no exception. As angry and distant as he always seemed, he cared a lot. In that moment no one dared to doubt his willingness to jump into the water after Prompto and personally fight whatever would threaten him.

Weskham offered them a look that spoke more than a thousand words. That was all the reply they got before he sighed and gestured them to sit down at a table.

“I’ll fix you some coffee and then we’ll talk.”

 

\- - -

 

As it turned out the talk was much needed. Weskham couldn’t believe how little they knew. In their defense though, it wasn’t like Prompto had actually told them anything. But they also hadn’t bothered to ask. 

Weskham had said farewell to the ocean a long time ago, staying with Regis, Cid and Clarus left no room to feel homesick and in the end he loved the land more than the water. Still, for some kind of nostalgia he had decided to settle down in Altissia. There was just something about being surrounded by the masses of clean ocean water that drew him in, pulled him closer. Secretary Claustra knew about him and she’d made sure that no one would ask questions if he suddenly left or people saw a weirdly big fish creature lingering around the bar. After all he had a pretty good life.

The same could not exactly be said about Prompto, who now was lost alone in unknown territory. Without protection. 

After what Weskham had told them, they were convinced that Prompto  _ needed _ protection.

Apparently there was a group of specialized hunters residing in Altissia that had been hunting down Weskham for decades.

“A family business. Kind of annoying but at least I knew the canals when they found me. Your friend has never been here before.”

It was a dangerous situation as they’d learned. Noctis was squirming in his seat in increasing discomfort. If something were to happen to Prompto, he’d never forgive himself. It was his fault after all that Prompto had even left them to begin with. 

“Those guys are ruthless, I tell you. Had a bunch of run-ins with them in my younger years and you really don’t want to mess with them. ‘Think they just want to sell the pretty parts or hand you over to a bunch of scientists - never made it that far.”

The longer Weskham had continued on, the paler all three of the boys had gotten. This was bad, really really bad.

They had to find Prompto. Fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever I'm so sorry. It's not even a good chapter and only like 1.5k words long but hopefully next chapter will be better! And done sooner :'D At least now I'm not signed up for a fic exchange which somehow draws out like 15k words from me.
> 
> \- - -
> 
> find me on tumblr!  
> [@schattenlurch](https://www.schattenlurch.tumblr.com)  
> [@stubsel](https://www.stubsel.tumblr.com)


	7. Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto really could use some good luck lately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an incredibly short chapter that has been sitting in my drafts since i uploaded the last one which was way too long ago. i'm so sorry!! inspiration is kinda low and life is kicking me in the butt but i'll definitely finish this!! i promise!!

It hadn’t been his intention to fall into the water and for a second he was surprised to still feel legs before he remembered that they were in Altissia and he’d have to actively want to shift. Praised be the heavens that he’d remembered to bring the waterproof camera case. He didn’t know if he’d survive the trip if his camera broke.

It had all happened so fast. They’d wanted to go visit Weskham’s again and then discover Altissia but Prompto didn’t even completely make it to the gondola.

It was still early so they’d rented their own boat to get around town. It would’ve come in handy later on if they’d actually made it into the damn boat.

 

Noctis had extended a hand to help him out of the water, back to the dry surface, but just thinking of reaching up and taking the other’s hand made his stomach do weird flip flops. At this point it wasn’t even just because he had a massive crush on him. Prompto was also incredibly embarrassed about his little confession the day before.

Before he could think better of it he took off the camera that still hung around his neck and placed it at Noctis’ feet before disappearing into the depths.

 

At first he'd carried around the pants, underwear and shoes in a tied bundle but eventually he decided to leave them underneath a bridge. There was enough space for his clothes to not just fall into the water and the space was small enough to not be discovered by any human. He kept on the shirt that now clung to his skin in all the wrong places. He felt sticky.

Sighing he made his descend back to the depths underneath the city. Down there he… he didn’t exactly feel safer as he did back at the surface but he felt right to be there. It was a weird feeling to have, considering he’d grown up above the surface. If anything it at least put him in a place the others couldn’t follow and he was grateful for that. He just needed some time for himself now. He didn’t want to be stuck with Noctis at the moment.

Still, as much as he had longed for quiet and calm, the canals were still unfamiliar to him which was made ever the more obvious the further he travelled. At some point he was certain that he wouldn’t ever find his clothes again. If he even found the way back to the Leville. When you’re a merman you can’t exactly risk peeking outside the water to get your bearings.

But things weren’t completely awful. Just because he didn’t know exactly where he was didn’t change his mind on the beauty of what he saw. It seemed that the city was built on ruins. The buildings of a long lost civilization littered the entire ground, turning it into an intricate labyrinth. The rays of sun danced across the once white buildings, creating the most beautiful patterns. 

 

He really wished he’d brought his camera. The others would’ve loved to see this.

 

Shaking his head Prompto let out a sigh. It really was no use dwelling on that. Noctis kept his camera save and, in all honesty, he didn’t want to think about either of them. Of course he was sure that was overreacting But he’d been crushing on Noctis for so long, he couldn’t even remember when it had started. It just hurt and he didn’t want to hurt.

In an attempt of distraction he decided to follow a school of various fishes around, which was fun, seeing them play and swim around as if he was one of them. But it also managed to get him lost even more.

He let out another sigh. Asking for directions wasn’t an option since he didn’t exactly speak fish. Come to think of it… did fish even talk? Something he’d have to ask Iggy later. Or maybe he could do some research on his own. Yeah, that sounded better. As if he wasn’t weird enough already, talking to the fishes would definitely add to that.

 

Getting his thoughts back on track, he decided to try to at least get back into the city. That shouldn’t be too difficult, right? Right now he should be pretty far outside so maybe he could risk a glance outside. Just a tiny peek. But as soon as he reached the surface he came face to face with a stranger, let out an embarrassing squeal and hurriedly gid back beneath the water. Shit. He’d let himself be seen. He started praying to the Astrals that this wouldn’t have consequences. Maybe no one would believe them when they started running around Altissia, blabbering about seeing a merperson. If he was lucky.

 

He sure could use some luck lately.

 

The worst part was that he still didn’t know exactly where he was, but he knew the general direction of where ‘city’ was. Deciding to not further try to push his luck, he lowered himself back to the ocean floor and made his way towards what he thought would be more central Altissia. He took a few wrong turns, getting lost among the ruins again, before he finally found places that seemed familiar.

Carefully he rose towards the surface, making sure he was hiding close to a wall and in the shadows of a bridge, before he slowly breached the surface and risked a look around. Yes, he knew this street. The Leville was still far and the Maagho even more so, but he knew where he was. If only his scales weren’t so bright he wouldn’t be forced to hide so low beneath the surface.

Taking the fastest route out of the city, since he believed it would be faster and easier to reach the Maagho like this, he continued his way to meet up with his friends again.

The time he spent along the creatures lurking far below, had aided him in clearing his head and, admittedly, it was getting a bit lonely. There were so many things he’d seen and wanted to talk about, but who would he talk to if not his friends? The same friends who were probably worried because of his sudden disappearance.

 

Getting carried away in the thoughts that swirled around his head like dark clouds, he didn’t notice the soft shimmer of something in the water. It glittered in the sunlight but was so very thin and fragile that it could barely be seen with the naked eye. That’s why he didn’t notice it until it was too late. The webbing caught on his limbs and scales, twisting and tangling as he tried to get it off but only growing tighter along his body. Panic was growing deep inside his stomach and started to settle as he realized he’d been caught in a fisherman’s net. 


End file.
